Reydrating dr yeast

[dmbnpj]

Should this always be done or is it sometimes ok to pitch the yeast directly from the packet? I will be all grain brewing an oktoberfest beer today and the recipe is unclear. Thanks for any help!

 

[Pilgarlic]

I don't rehydrate dry yeast anymore. Lallemand (Danstar) recommends it. Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer recommend it. I don't do it and get fine results consistently. If you're at all concerned about it rehydrating is a piece of cake; just do it.

 

[Daybis]

I've pitched from the packet directly a few times in the past, no problems here.

 

[vhampyre]

A little late to make a starter, but it's always recommended.

1. You know the yeast is alive and healthy.
2. You know that your yeast, and not something weird will overwhelm the brew.
3. The brew will take off quicker, and ferment quicker.

I'm sure there's numerous other reasons, but these are the reasons I never just dump dry yeast into anything- wine, beer, etc.

So, we're on a short timeline- like today.

Personally, I'd take about a 1/8th cup of sugar (DME would be better, but sugar will do in a pinch) and boil it in about 2 cups of water for a few minutes. Let it cool to about 80 (ice bath if you're in a hurry) and pitch into a sanitized jar. Cover with a sanitized ziplock bag and a rubber band. Some say airlock it, but you need oxygen for yeast to multiply easier. We just need to keep the "crap" like dust out.

Swirl it every half hour or so. Should get fairly active in a few hours, complete with a mini-krausen. That way you know it's alive and healthy, and will give it a head start on brewing your beer.

 

[vhampyre]

Can you direct pitch? Yes.
Will you be fine? Usually.
Are starters hard to make? No.

First time you toss a five gallon batch because the fermentation didn't take off but something else did, you'll probably make starters from there out.

For me, it was my eighth batch of wine in 2003 that turned me off of direct pitching. Not worth skipping, to me.

 

[stevedasleeve]

I've done it both ways, noticed no difference, but it makes sense to give the yeast their best chance of doing well! It is so easy to do I re-hydrate every time now. I've had real problems with two batches using Nottingham yeast* - one completely ruined 5 gallons, and one looking to go the same way (so I re-pitched) and for both the yeast sank to the bottom and stayed there rather than creamed up like normal, so now I check for normal re-hydration behavior before pitching and toss it if it even hints at oddness. It is so not worth the risk ruining your 6 hours brewing + $20-30 or ingredients. IMHO, YMMV and WTF,

Steve da sleeve

(*https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-72-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/)

PS here is how I do it: boil water at the beginning of of the boil and pour it into a clean glass vessel. I usually rinse it out with the boiled water first then pour in about 8 oz. Cover it and put it somewhere while you do your brewing. About an hour before I want to pitch I add the dry yeast to the now cooled water gently without stirring (I check the temp first though, Nottingham suggests something like 85-90 F, if it is too hot I'll put it on ice for a bit, too & cool I'll microwave it a few secs to get within range.) Recover. 20 mins later I gently stir to suspend the yeast. It will cream up within another 15 mins or so and is ready to pitch.

 

[ajf]

On the rare occasions that I use dry yeast, I usually just pitch it. Some say that it should be rehydrated first, but I have never been able to tell the difference.

-a.

 

[Frank99]

I always rehydrate because that's what the manufacturers usually recommend and the Jamil/Palmer guys recommend this approach. Just be sure to use sterile water w/no chlorine and be sure to check the temperature! Once I see they're foaming I know they're viable yeast. I've done it both ways and honestly haven't noticed a difference.

 

[SteveM]

I've never bothered with rehydrating - I pitch dry yeast right into the fermenter out of the packet - once I have ensured that the wort is at the right temperature. Never had a problem.

 

[snipper_cr]

I rehydrate because that's what Palmer recommends, but I've actually seen a few packages that say on them NOT to rehydrate. I still rehydrated but part of me thinks that they may know what they are talking about more since they made it.

As with most things homebrew, it turned out just fine.

 

[smata67]

I always rehydrate because that's what the manufacturers usually recommend and the Jamil/Palmer guys recommend this approach. Just be sure to use sterile water w/no chlorine and be sure to check the temperature! Once I see they're foaming I know they're viable yeast. I've done it both ways and honestly haven't noticed a difference.

You can't go wrong by following the manufacturer's recommendations as stated on the yeast package or their website. No one, even the brew gurus, are in a better position to determine what is the proper way to get their yeast going.

 

[nanofreak]

I was listening to Chris White (White Labs) talk about yeast, and what he states is do what it says on the package. Some dry yeasts say to, and some say pitch direct. He says the people engineering the yeasts prepare their product and directions to match. That if it says to pitch direct, than chances are the cells are optimized to do so, and you will actually be taking a loss by re-hydrating them, if it says to rehydrate, same thing you should do so because the cells will require it.

 

[shoebag22]

just used safale 05 and it says to just pitch right in... no mention of rehydrate.

 

[sportscrazed2]

I'm going to brew my first batch today and will probably just skip the rehydration. i'm using s-04 to make a brown ale. do you think i should pick up some s-05 instead or a different yeast? as soon as fedex shows up with my stuf i'm heading out to homebrew shop and picking up some stuff like a long spoon and star san